Incompetent judges

[John W Blehm]

It was a double show, so the exhibitor paid $8 for each entry and had her birds judged independently by two different APA licensed judges. I'm not an APA member and no longer own a Standard of Perfection, so I'm not sure of current APA rules about the way these birds were judged. What I do know is that it is wrong to give a pass to a bird that is not the variety or breed that it is entered as. As this first time exhibitor was cooping out I introduced myself, gave her an Ameraucana flyer with a membership form and explained as diplomatically as I could that her birds were what we call easter eggers. The judges didn't do her any favor by not disqualifying these chickens and noting reasons on the coop cards. They are as bad as the farm store, hatchery or individual that sold them to her as Ameraucanas. Education is the key and that should start with the APA. They need a reeducation/retraining course to get all their judges on the same page and do the jobs they are getting paid to do.
I'm not mentioning the names of the two judges referred to above because over the decades that I've attended poultry shows I've seen others do the same thing...over and over. Some I've known for many years and consider them my friends. Still, in this matter we need the APA to take responsibility and try to fix the problem...yes it is a problem.   

[Mike Gilbert]

After this many years there is just no excuse for that.   Were these birds up against any real Ameraucanas? 

[Russ Blair]

I had a LF Blue pullet entered Mike. She wasn’t nothing special but she was at least an Ameraucana 

[Kalin McClure]

Wow! That's inexcusable, and from two judges?!

I have some gripes on how the APA handles their business, but this is a clear breakdown of their system from start to finish. I'm preaching to the choir, I know, but you simply cannot claim that poultry breeds/varieties are determined by a phenotypic standard and then completely ignore the standard at a show.

[Laurie Ashley]

Were these Jr. entrys by chance?  I have been increasingly concerned over APA judges repeatedly awarding obvious Easter Eggers/ substandard Ameraucana placements, simply because they have been instructed not to DQ any Jr. entry.

What are they teaching the Jr's about the breeds? About having an SOP?  And what does this mean for those Jr's who actually do the work, study the SOP, and try to raise and exhibit true Ameraucana?

[Elijah Ensor]

Wow, that's unfortunate on both parties ends.  Hopefully the exhibitor will have someone to point them in the right direction eventually. 

[Russ Blair]

Laurie these were open show entries luckily.